Obviously something is killing off 114+ year old Americans, and the government needs to investigate. These two poor women represented a huge percentage of the American 114+ year old population, both dead inside a single month.

If this plea seems absurd, it is. But no more absurd than the near-constant pleas for government action based on other tail-of-the-distribution random events. Heck, at least I had two data points to falsely declare a trend. Those claiming a "trend" in mass shootings from Sandy Hook or in extreme climate from Hurricane Sandy are extrapolating a trend from only a single data point.

OMG, I never even realized -- that's another deadly trend -- things named Sandy! When will Congress act?

Hopefully never. However, I fear that this hope is in vain. The five most important words in the constitution are also those most ignored by congress. They are the first five words of the first amendment.

norse

Given that more Americans drown in bath tubs than get murdered in schools or by terrorists, I can't wait until the Tub Safety Agency has agents in every home, ensuring that we are safe from the dangers of rubber duckies.

"Sir, soap cannot be kept in a tub in more than 3ml quantities. Drop that shower-gel. Drop it, now!"

Eric Berlin

I don't disagree with your larger point, but surely you know there have been other mass shootings recently.

http://profiles.google.com/maruadventurer john mcginnis

The worst mass killing in a school isn't even this century and was not committed with a gun. Much of our problems today extend from a lack of perspective. Every generation thinks their time is the only timeline. And sadly we seem to be unwilling to expand our understanding by looking back even though it is easier than ever with the internet.

Zachriel

norse: Given that more Americans drown in bath tubs than get murdered in schools or by terrorists, I can't wait until the Tub Safety Agency has agents in every home, ensuring that we are safe from the dangers of rubber duckies.

And more people are killed every year in automobile accidents than were killed in the attacks of 9-11-01, still more by cancer. So why do people decry the killings on 9-11 and advocate for action?

marque2

When was the worst mass killing in a school?

Scott from Ohio

There's an irony here. Thanks to groups like the SENS Foundation and the Methuselah Foundation, the private sector is already tackling the problem of deaths among Americans 114+ years old.